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Irigami Clan
The Irigami clan (狗神一族, Irigami Ichizoku) is a split clan originating in Demon Country. The Irigami do not have a shinobi background, but very quickly established themselves as a mercenary onmyōdō force. Background Founding The original clan was nearly destroyed in the Warring States Period. Its matriarch, Daji Irigami (狗神 妲己, Irigami Daji), had inherited her place as headwoman of her family after the deaths of her father and two older brothers in feudal skirmishes. Daji had no interest in the formation of the hidden villages, and was only concerned with the legacy of her clan: the Irigami were originally gifted a vast and fertile land that had belonged to the Headwoman since the time of the Sage. The Irigami believed that the globalization of the new villages would prevent their family from maintaining their hold on the land; when it's safety was threatened by the growing animosity between the larger countries of the world, particularly the territories of the Uchiha and the Senju, Daji moved ruthlessly to defend her clan. According to legend, she used a kojutsu (also called "kodō" or "kodoku," a greatly feared ritual for employing the spirits of certain animals) to invoke the Inugami and turn it into a curse that could be used against the hostile clans. The inugami she summoned, however able they were to understand her and her descendants' will, were sometimes disobedient and would bite to death members of the family; Daji found that their pact with the spirits had begun to make physical changes in the clan members they bonded to, and their newfound power only delayed the inevitable. The less mythologized version of this tale replaces the Inugami with Daji's creation of the Curse Seal of the Moon, an ability which, to the untrained eye, appears similar to historical accounts of Inugami possession. There were as many inugami as there were people in families that had inugami, and the number of inugami increased each time the family grew larger. Families that had inugami were often said to have prospered and become wealthy—this was certainly true for the Irigami. As generations passed, they became more and more wealthy, and more and more jealous of the new hidden villages' wealth. The violent skirmishes in the Warring States period had reduced their numbers, and in order to protect the remaining members of her clan, the new headwoman pulled in all her remaining favoursto secure their place during the Preistesses' rise to power. Clan Politics The Irigami clan is typical of an ancient bloodline, guarding their ancestral secrets closely under the guise of civilian assimilation. They appear to outsiders to be completely innocuous (several members are registered in Demon Country's shinobi forces, but curiously enough they tend to retire early or otherwise never seem to rise above chūnin), but in truth they are a cunning and covetous brood. The clan functions largely in quiet, tending to their ancestral shrines: * The Main Branch are the foremost familial branch and the extension of the clan that acts as the political and diplomatic head. These members generally have the highest rate of extended service as shinobi; regardless of their chosen career path, Main Branch Irigami benefit from an extensive childhood education in onmyōdō. * The''' Branch Clan''' are the distant and "adopted" members of the Irigami. Such individuals either found their way to or were taken in by the Irigami by marriage or employment. They function as the primary military power of the clan, and many receive the Curse Seal of the Moon upon reaching adulthood. Both branches occupy the sprawling Irigami clan compound. Regardless of background, if they show an affinity for the Curse Seal, they are encouraged to join the ranks of the Irigami's military cohort for a more comprehensive education. Identifying Features The Irigami technically do not have any identifying features. Due to their policy to adopt or marry in outsiders from the surrounding continents, it is difficult to tell at a glance who their core members are. However, the Irigami mark their shinobi members at adulthood with two red marks under either eye. In addition to appearance, the Irigami all tend to dress in a similar fashion. Men and women alike wear hanbok, a traditional Korean dress, around the compound. Main branch clan members prefer to wear the colours of the current matriarch, in lavenders, pinks, and pale blues. Adoptive clan members, young children, and at times the elderly all tend toward the colours of the clan's historical emblem, bright yellows and oranges, and accent them with red. Both factions often carry strings of red beads or similarly-coloured ornaments. Allies Elemental Countries The Irigami had ties (both political and spousal) to the Land of Demons, and a long-standing agreement was established for certain favours and incentives to be given to the family. Their relationship to the neighbouring Land of Swamps was not quite so strong, but could be considered in the way of amicable neighbours. Kirigakure Kiri's attack and subsequent salt-and-burning of Uzushiogakure outraged the Irigami clan, who can still be found to rave about it presently. As such, Kiri's relationship with the Irigami is beyond hope, even with Mei Terumi's reforms. Konohagakure The Irigami hold a sharp animosity for Konoha, whose forces they believe neglected Uzushio in its time of need. They are distrustful of Konoha's policies and of its ninja. Kumogakure The Irigami clan's attentions to the Land of Lightning (particularly their Hidden Village) have cooled somewhat after Cloud's attempted theft of the Hyuga's doujutsu, which the Irigami hold as a breach of civil liberty with the ability to lead to a similar event to Kiri's invasion of Uzushio. Nadeshiko Village New ties have been forged between the Irigami and the kunoichi of Nadeshiko Village, an arrangement which benefits both parties greatly. Uzushiogakure In the early years of its settlement, the Irigami Clan were allied closely with Uzushiogakure (with whom they shared a culture and traded in skills for seals). The Irigami's loyalty grew in regards to Uzushio and its shinobi as many intermarriages began to blur their ethnic lines. Several high-ranking members of the main branch have expressed their hope for the scattered Uzumaki population to rebuild Uzushio, for which they would offer support politically and financially. Abilities Chakra and Physical Prowess The Irigami Clan has considerable chakra reserves, and train their members in acute chakra control from a very young age. They are particularly gifted in genjutsu and fūinjutsu; in the Warring States period, they traded in sealing techniques and scrolls with what would eventually become the Uzumaki, laying the groundwork for a long-standing relationship between the two clans. Their taijutsu education is rigorous and rooted deeply in clan lore and values; aside from their own clan-specific taijutsu and kenjutsu, the Irigami (by virtue of their past intermarrying) are possibly the only remaining clan still actively keeping faith with the lost Whirlpool taijutsu and fūinjutsu techniques. As a result, many taijutsu masters tend to come from or marry into the clan. Onmyōdō Onmyōdō (陰陽道, also In'yōdō, lit. 'The Way of Yin and Yang') is a traditional Japanese esoteric cosmology, a mixture of natural science and occultism. It is based on the Chinese philosophies of Wu Xing (five elements) and yin and yang. It was accepted as a practical system of divination. The Irigami practice onmyōdō and sealing concurrently. Members of the Main Branch are trained extensively in onmyōdō, and are responsible for the care and upkeep of their ancestral shrines; the Branch Clan's Curse Seal of the Moon must be administered by certified masters of onmyōdō from the Main Branch, and as such they are also responsible for training the Branch Clan to improve their prospects of surviving the seal. Leaders * Daji Irigami (狗神 妲己, Irigami Daji): First leader, founder of the Irigami clan. * Tansu Irigami (狗神 箪笥, Irigami Tansu): Current leader, credited with perfecting the preparations for the Curse Seal of the Moon. Notes © 2016 by @User:Shotons. All Rights Reserved. I do not own Naruto or any of its related content. I do, however, own this clan and its information! That being said: the Irigami clan and its related media (ie. fanfictions, spin-offs, and subsequent sequels) are my intellectual property and are under copyright. Any theft or repurposing of this clan, its background, and its setting without the original author's EXPRESS PERMISSION will result in immediate action. If you have questions or concerns, please contact me for further information. I spent a very long time putting this together and I would greatly appreciate it if anyone who DOES want to use this clan, for whatever purpose, please talk to me about it first!! Thanks. Trivia *The kanji in Irigami (狗神) literally means "dog, puppy" and "god", respectively, and is an alternate pronunciation of "inugami" in the Tanegashima local dialect. *The idea that there exists bloodlines of families that are more easily possessed by an inugami (as well as bloodlines of inugami themselves) come from the regional tales of sorcerers, yamabushi, priests, and fuko that engaged in kodoku. In many cases, it shows how nomadic peoples who engaged in folk sorcery would earn trust and respect and at the same time be treated with discrimination. **Families that had inugami were thought to have prospered and grew wealthy. At the same time, there were also cases where they weren't treated well (like fox spirits that brought fortune into families by being deified) but rather detested as curse gods. *All current clan heads since the Warring States Period have been female. Historically, the Irigami have had 3 male inheritors. Category:Land of Demons Category:Clans Category:FINAL